She nodded slowly, then slid into the chair across from him. Connor straightened slightly. Vivi didn’t sit down unless she had something to say.
“And how’s that going for you?” she asked.
He let out a sigh. He didn’t think she really wanted to talk about Jaxon, but he’d bide his time until she got to what she really wanted to talk to him about. “About as well as you’d expect.”
She studied him for a moment. Leaning in, she spoke quietly. “You, my darling child, need to be careful.”
Connor frowned. “Careful about what?”
“About Sandra Wainwright.”
Connor’s irritation sharpened. If he never heard that woman’s name again in his life if would be too soon. “You’re not telling me anything I don’t know, Vivi.”
She smiled, but her ice blue eyes sparked. “Humor me, son.”
He leaned back again, crossing his arms. Once Vivi made up her mind to get involved, there was normally no stopping her. He normally enjoyed their conversations, but today he had other things on his mind.
“Sorry, Vivi,” he said as soft as he could. He would rather cut off his arm than hurt her. “Whatever you need to tell me, I probably need to hear it. But can we put a pin in it for today? I really need to focus on this,” he said, thumping his finger on his notepad.
Vivi folded her hands on the table and continued as if he hadn’t done anything except nod and agree. “I’ve known the Torbetts, that’s Sandra’s mother’s maiden name, and the Wainwrights for a long, long time. I watched Sandra’s grandmother spoil her mother rotten,” she said. “And then I watched her mother do the same thing to Sandra.”
Resigned to having this conversation, Connor huffed. “Yeah. That sounds about right.”
Vivi’s eyes narrowed. “She’s used to getting what she wants. And that girl wants you.”
Connor couldn’t hold back his sigh. “I know, Vivi. That’s the reason I broke things off with her.”
Vivi lifted an eyebrow. “Was it?”
“Yes, among other things.”
Sandra had been pretty, flirty, and enthusiastic about the Daddy dynamic. But it hadn’t taken long before her bratty playfulness turned into something uglier. Calling herself a brat had really just been an excuse to manipulate people into doing what she wanted. But she went a step further, hurting peopleand seeming to think it was funny. He was supposed to make her every wish come true, like he was some genie in a bottle.
And the drama. So much drama. Connor didn’t do drama.
“Still,” Vivi continued, lowering her voice slightly, “I’ve seen the look in her eyes lately.”
Connor gave her a skeptical look. “What look?”
“The kind that worries me.”
“Vivi—” he started.
She held up a hand. “Especially now that Bliss is back in town.”
Connor went still. Then he said evenly, “Bliss has nothing to do with Sandra or me.” That wasn’t entirely true. He knew it, and Vivi obviously did too. Not that it should surprise him. The woman knew everything that went on in Darling.
Vivi studied him carefully.
“Maybe not,” she said. “But Sandra’s best friend was in here a few minutes ago.”
Connor frowned. He was having a hard time figuring out how that affected him. “And?”
“And when she saw you sitting here…” Vivi tapped the table lightly. “She stepped outside and made a phone call.”
Connor barked a short laugh. He couldn’t help it. “You’re kidding me.”
“I certainly am not, young man.”
